The directors of "Cold Justice" — the folks who turned downtown La Grange into the Wild West during filming — didn't intend for the project to become a feature-length movie.

It started out in winter 2012 as a promotional film for a couple of Western re-enactment groups. Members of the cast and crew belong to those groups and did the filming just to kill time during the off-season, said Zeb Son, one of the movie's three directors.

"The more it evolved and the more it got written and all that, the more we realized, 'This ain't a commercial. This is gonna turn into something bigger than that,'" said Son, 53, of La Grange.

"So we just kept writing and filming and before we were done, we had an hour-and-52-minute movie."

After years of shooting and editing, the Western will make its premiere this weekend at Christian Country Cowboy Church. Audiences can expect to see familiar Oldham County sites as the backdrop for what Son calls "a story of good and evil with a few twists."

In "Cold Justice," two brothers return home to the fictional town of Justice, Mo., after fighting in the Civil War, only to find a man named Baxter is trying to take their family farm.

Audiences can expect to see some familiar faces. The cast and crew comprises about 50 individuals — some from Western re-enactment groups Cowboy Posse and Six Guns Entertainment and some Son said they "picked up along the way."

As the former owner of Irish Rover Too, Michael Reidy, remembers it, the directors of the film asked if they could shoot some scenes in his bar and said, "You'll have a major part in it ... and you can be as mean and as bad as you want." Irish Rover Too, located in downtown La Grange, closed in August.

Reidy, 54, plays the role of Baxter, the movie's main villain, which he said required him to "walk about with a swagger and push people out of the way."

Also the owner of The Irish Rover in Crescent Hill, Reidy said he enjoyed playing the villain, especially since in his everyday life, he's taking care of customers. He called the experience "liberating."

"I got the chance to be somebody else," he said. "I was doing all sorts of nasty, mean stuff, and I was enjoying every minute of it."

Eddie Kinberger, one of the movie's directors, said recruiting actors allowed him to meet lots of new people. Kinberger, who had produced a short film in the past, said the work he did for "Cold Justice" was "a whole lot more fun."

Kinberger, 56, of La Grange, said he has seen the finished product and was "impressed" by the fact it was made by an amateur cast and crew.

"I've seen movies with bigger names that were a whole lot worse," he said.

David Huff, president and founder of Six Guns Entertainment and director of "Cold Justice," said even though historically the Wild West was violent, Hollywood has made the Western's signature cowboys and quick draws popular.

Huff, 35, of Corydon, Ind., described "Cold Justice" as "old-fashion filmmaking with old-fashion special effects." He said there might be more independent filmmaking in store for Six Guns Entertainment.

"There's just a coolness that comes along with the Wild West," he said.

Reporter Kirsten Clark can be reached at (502) 582-4144 or on Twitter by following @kirstenlmclark.

'Cold Justice'

What: Western filmed in La Grange. It's not rated and contains mild Wild West violence.

When: 1 p.m., 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. Saturday; 1 and 4 p.m. Sunday.

Where: Christian Country Cowboy Church, 2301 Ky. 146 in La Grange

Admission: $5

Information: Call (502) 727-6081 with questions or to reserve tickets.